DOING LIFE

SNAPSHOTS OF FERNRIDGE ESTATE - 122 Kinross Saturday & Sunday 3/4 November 2007

Entrance to Fernridge Estate viewed from the inside

Entrance to Fernridge Estate

My TTAF driver, Mike, arrived 20 minutes late due to rubber necking coming up Fields Hill after a truck has lost its wheels going down Fields Hill. Left with no choice by the wheel-less truck on Fields Hill, we took the back route through Kloof/Pinetown which got me to the airport half an hour before my departure time. I soon found out that this definitely was no serious hiccup … Yet, another weekend kicked off with SAA Durban to Johannesburg flight delays with a late Friday afternoon flight becoming an evening flight. I arrived at Conroy’s apartment in Bryanston just after 9pm instead of just after 7pm, feeling quite stressed out and tired.

122 Kinross : Street view

122 Kinross: Back view

We slept in a bit on Saturday morning and went for a late breakfast at the Spar’s Coffee Shop in the Broadacres Shopping Centre. The coffee shop has quite a tranquil setting with decks running out into the Garden Shop’s nursery situated next to it. Ponds with the sound of running water were good therapy for two stressed out souls. We stumbled upon Spar’s coffee shop after enquiring about getting a post box at the Broadacres’ Postnet … oh yes, PJ Powers, the singer, was also having breakfast here.

122 Kinross: Main Bedroom Balcony

122 Kinross: Balcony with entrance doors to Main Bedroom, 3rd & 4th Bedrooms and Study

After establishing that there was a minimum 3-week waiting list for a Postnet box we decided to get a SA Post Office box at the Leapfrog Shopping Centre in William Nicol Drive, + 3km from Fernridge Estate. There was a post office here as well. So, our new postal address is P O Box 460, Fourways North, 2086 … another ‘to-do item’ that could be ticked off. With the our new post box keys in hand we rushed off to meet the first of two interior designers at our new Kinross home at 1pm to get a quote for the dressing of all the windows and doors. I did not realize how many windows and doors (most doors having a glass panel) had to be dressed.

Endless Material Samples - too much for the brain to process!

It took just over 4 hours to decide on fabrics and wood/aluminium Venetian blinds. This was quite an overwhelming exercise having to visualize furniture back at home and matching colours. I stuck to total neutral colours which could be jazzed up with bringing in some colour with accessories, etc.

Basic Living on the patio whilst playing the waiting game.

Stairway leading up to bedrooms and balcony

Bathroom furnishings - same colour scheme throughout bathrooms

Stairway leading down to formal lounge

Sunday morning we rose earlier and left for breakfast at 8:30am at the Ferndale shopping centre just outside the main gate of Fernridge Estate after which we met up with a second interior designer at 10am. Once again it was nearly a 4-hour stint having to choose different fabrics and Venetian blinds all over and measuring every single window. We left the estate just after 2pm and had an early supper at our newly discovered Spar Coffee Shop at the Broacres Shopping Centre. This Spar has just been extended and upgraded. It is massive and ultra modern, the likes I have not seen anywhere yet. I can see that this Spar will become a favourite hangout for shopping. The Scrapbook Trading shop is also situated in this same shopping centre. There is also a barnyard theatre and Virgin Active here!

Innovative laptop operator - ' 'n Boer maak 'n Plan'

I think we have relaxed a bit more about our move up to Gauteng. Now that we have got a home and have familiarized ourselves with our surroundings re shopping centres, postal services, gyms, etc. we are much more at ease and are actually looking forward making our the Kinross house our own HOME. Sunday evening was spent just chilling and relaxing before another hectic week ahead of us. There was just no time visiting friends and family for which there will be plenty of time once we have settled in our new home. - Windowed out signing off